This invention relates to animal traps of the type generally used for individually trapping small rodents such as rats and mice and which comprise a generally U-shaped sprung jaw pivotally mounted at its free ends on a baseboard for swinging movement about a horizontal axis between set and sprung positions on opposite sides of the pivot axis respectively. A trigger arrangement for this type of trap generally takes the form of an elongated trigger arm or rod pivoted to one end of the baseboard and which extends when the trap is set over the cross bar of the depressed jaw and across the jaw pivot axis, with the free end of the arm releasably engaging a pivotal bait pedal on the opposite side of the jaw pivot axis. The bait pedal is generally centrally located with respect to the sprung position of the jaw and the arrangement is such that with the trap in a set condition, depression of the bait pedal by an animal releases the trigger arm allowing the jaw to swing over the under spring force and trap the animal against the baseboard.
Numerous forms of bail pedals have been used in prior art traps of the above type. One consideration in designing a bait pedal is that its bait retaining capacity should be correlated to its sensitivity to minimize the risk of an animal being able to remove the bait without springing the trap. Further, it is desirable for the pedal to have adequate coverage with respect to the overall area of the trap to maximize the catchment area of the trap. In the past, bait pedals have tended to be rather small compared with the enclosed area of the trap jaw. It is further desirable for the pedal to be designed to offer optimum sensitivity of release consistent with the size and weight of the animals to be trapped and with its bait retention characteristics.
With the above considerations in view, it is an object of the present invention to provide, for animals traps of the type described, a novel form of bait pedal which optimizes the use of a trap's catchment area.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a bait pedal which enables the sensitivity of a trap's trigger arrangement to be adjusted.
Another object of the invention is to provide a bait pedal having a novel form of bait retention means including a means for retaining a liquid or semiliquid bait.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a simple and convenient means for attaching a bait pedal to a trap baseboard.